In the southernmost fishing village of mainland China, I found glowing salt
Fangpo Village, Xuwen: The southernmost coral poetry of mainland China, even the salt fields are writing love poems
As soon as I stepped into the alley paved with coral stones, the fish painted on the wall seemed to swim right into my eyes. The guesthouse hostess handed me a cup of salt soda: "20°13′14″ N latitude, this is the southernmost romantic coordinate of the mainland, even the sea breeze carries a salty sweetness." In the distance, the salt fields shimmered like someone had scattered stars on the mudflats.
🐚 Coral Stone House: Breathing for hundreds of millions of years
The old houses built with coral stones can "breathe." Running my fingers over the wall, I could feel the fine textures of coral polyps—"These stones lived in the sea for hundreds of millions of years," the hostess tapped the wall, "The older generation collected them to build houses, and in summer, it's cooler than air conditioning."
The best part is the artistic murals. On one wall, a fishing boat is smashing into the sunset, with cartoon coral polyps swimming in the waves; around the corner, a poem by Hai Zi is painted in the shape of ocean waves: the character for "flower" in "Facing the sea, with spring blossoms" is made from shells. A girl stood in front of the wall taking photos, her skirt brushing against a cactus sprouting from the stone cracks, startling a white butterfly that had been resting on the mural.
Inside the Coral Museum, live corals slowly stretch under the soft blue light. Staghorn coral looks like branched tree branches, and small fish hide in the folds of brain coral. The guide pointed to a piece of pink coral: "It grows 0.1 millimeters every day; this 'flower' has bloomed for 500 years." In the touch pool, a starfish crawled on my hand like a moving piece of sandpaper, causing children to exclaim in delight.
🌅 Salt Fields and Twin Seas: Nature’s Palette
The thousand-year-old salt fields are the blush on the earth. Each salt pond glows orange-red, silver-white, and light purple under the sun. An elderly woman harvesting salt walked barefoot on the dikes, the sound of the wooden rake scraping the salt grains like falling snow. "This is the 'Bagua Salt Field,'" she said with a smile, pointing to an aerial photo, "The ancients dug it according to the Bagua pattern, and the salt here tastes a bit sweet."
The "Twin Seas Wonder" at dusk leaves people speechless. The waters of the Qiongzhou Strait and the Beibu Gulf meet here, with blue and green waves colliding to form a silver line. The sunset dyes the sky orange, and the reflections from the salt fields and the golden shimmer on the sea surface merge into one. Couples stand by the stone monument engraved with "Southernmost point of mainland China," their shadows stretched long as if about to merge into the sea.
Children gathering sea creatures carry small buckets, and hermit crabs with colorful shells scurry wildly on the beach. One crab suddenly stopped beside the landmark stone marked "20°13′14″ N," as if reading the romance of these numbers. The hostess said, "At low tide, you can find star-shaped coral fragments, which locals call 'stars of the sea.'"
🌌 Coral Guesthouse: Falling asleep to the sound of waves
At night, the guesthouse looks like a stranded ship. Moonlight filters through the coral stone walls, and you can hear the tide under the bed. The hostess brought salt-baked shrimp: "Baked with salt harvested today, the shell is so crispy you can chew it directly." The camping lights in the yard are on, the windmill spins in the sea breeze, and the Milky Way hangs so low it seems about to fall into a wine glass.
Photographers set up cameras to shoot the starry sky; the Milky Way stretches across the sea in their lenses, and the windmill’s shadow gently sways on the sand. "At 4 a.m. there are blue tears," the hostess said, "Last year a couple stayed up for three nights to capture it; the seawater in the photos looks like it’s sprinkled with fluorescent powder."
Practical Guide
· Transportation: 2.5 hours by car from Zhanjiang city (navigate to "Fangpo Village, Xuwen," free parking at the village entrance, the last 5 kilometers is a coastal road where you can stop anytime to take sea views); from Xuwen county town, take a bus to Jiaowei Township (8 RMB/person), then a taxi for 10 RMB to the village.
· Costs: Entire area is free! Coral Museum is free (registration required), sea gathering tools can be borrowed from the guesthouse (shovel + bucket 5 RMB/set), salt-baked shrimp 35 RMB/serving, extremely cost-effective.
· Must-do list: 1. Learn salt harvesting at the salt fields: find the elderly woman at 9 a.m., she will teach you "raking salt" and "collecting salt," and you can take home a small jar of salt you harvested yourself (free).
2. Night search for blue tears: highest chance from April to May, use a strong flashlight to shine on the sea surface, the blue light fluctuates with the waves like a star river under the sea.
3. Coral DIY: The guesthouse offers a DIY coral painting experience (20 RMB/person), using collected coral fragments to make patterns, and the hostess will help frame it.
- Hidden romance: Find a heart-shaped coral stone, write your loved one’s name in the salt field; when the tide rises, the salt characters will be washed into the sea. Locals say "this way the sea god will remember it."
When leaving, the hostess stuffed a bag of salt into my bag: "This is the 'southernmost salt,' it will remind you of the taste of the sea when cooking." Looking back, smoke rose from the chimney of the coral stone house, the salt fields shimmered silver in the morning light. The most artistic secret place requires no ticket, just waiting for you to come and read the poetry of the sea.
What is your idea of the "southernmost romance"? Is it the embrace of the twin seas, or the poems written by the salt fields? Share in the comments~
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